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inorganic polymer
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Diagram comparing two mineral structures: the top shows a single chain of silicon-oxygen tetrahedra for pyroxene labeled (SiO3)n, while the bottom shows a double chain for amphibole labeled (Si4O11)n, with silicon atoms in purple and oxygen atoms in orange. A model of a zeolite structure.
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Diagram comparing two mineral structures: the top shows a single chain of silicon-oxygen tetrahedra for pyroxene labeled (SiO3)n, while the bottom shows a double chain for amphibole labeled (Si4O11)n, with silicon atoms in purple and oxygen atoms in orange.
The single-chain silicon-oxygen tetrahedral structure (SiO3)n of pyroxene minerals and the double-chain structure (Si4011)n of amphibole minerals are examples of inorganic polymers of silicon.

inorganic polymer

Written by
Jerome David Odom
Professor of Chemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia. Coauthor of Chemistry: Concepts and Models.
Jerome David Odom
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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inorganic polymer, any of a class of large molecules that lack carbon and are polymers—that is, made up of many small repeating units called monomers. The word polymer is derived from the Greek term poly, meaning many, and meros, which means part. Nature abounds with carbon-based (that is, organic) polymers, such as wool, silk, proteins, starch, and cellulose. In addition, rubber and plastic are made of a wide variety of man-made organic polymers (see elastomer;...

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